massacre, those six american civilians brutally murdered in afghanistan, who were they? why were they there? end game -- a milestone nears in iraq as u.s. troops pack up. what they're leaving behind. manhunt for two escaped convict, arm, dangerous and now suspected of murder. twist and shout -- >> oh, no, no, no! >> a string of tornadoes hits the midwest and you can't get any closer than this. and, message in a bottle. a family's remembrance touches hearts far away. a family's remembrance touches hearts far away. you just won't believe where. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening, secretary of state hillary clinton is tonight condemning the killings of ten medical aid workers, six americans, shot and killed the in afghanistan this weekend. describing their deaths in terms of a brutal ambush, robbery and murder. ed a the organization behind the group is rejecting a taliban claim that they were executed for spying and preaching christianity. they say the ten civilians were killed near the end of a three-week expedition to provide medical care in remote afghan villages. when family and friends say was a mission of mercy. nbc's mike taibbi has the latest. >> reporter: the bodies of the aid workers have been recovered and brought to kabul. the names not yet officially released. among the confirmed dead, 32-year-old health care volunteer, sheryl beck an ohio native. denver dentist, dr. thomas

graham and carol woo who knew the risks she faced and 61-year-old optometrist, dr. tom little. known to many as dr. tom, who left upstate new york for afghanistan with wife libby three decades ago and raised three children there. but never left the church that memberalized him today. >> his death is a tragedy, but it is not in vain. his work will go on in afghanistan. >> reporter: in fact the christian medical charity that dr. tom worked for suggested it's true. >> i think it's highly unlikely. >> but the killings have shaken the western aid community and drawn attention to the increasing volatility in afghanistan. a taliban spokesman explained for nbc why so-called taliban fighters opened fire on the group. >> said the fighters were masked with taliban locations and a christian bible which the taliban claimed was proof that

the group was spying and spreading christianity. >> secretary of state hillary clinton called the mission solely humanitarian and libby little, home in new york for the birth of the first grandchild she and tom couldn't wait to see, said her husband and his group were in a remote province for one reason only. >> there's no proselytizing, there was no efforts to convert. they were working like crazy. caring for people. there. if you've ever been on one of these things, there's no time for anything other than caring for the sick. >> and the afghanistan government investigating the killings said the motive is not clear and the u.s. ambassador isn't blaming the taliban yet. >> we don't know whether they're responsible or whether they're simply taking credit for the cowardly and despicable acts of others. >> meanwhile, libby awatsz the

imminent birth of her granddaughter. >> and somebody we'll tell her she can be proud of the grandpa she never got to see. >> with his death, millions now have. mike taibbi, nbc news, new york. america's other war, the one in iraq began with an explosive assault called shock and awe more than seven years and 4400 american lives ago. now the end of the u.s. combat mission in iraq is just weeks away. what will be left behind? our chief foreign correspondent, richard engel was there at the beginning and he's there tonight. richard, good evening. >> good evening, lester. the draw-down of american forces in iraq is well under way. american combat troops are making their final preparations to leave by the end of august. in the 115-degree heat this weekend in baghdad, u.s. troops took down the flag as american combat forces handed responsibility to iraqi troops.

the iraqi soldiers put on a display at the ceremony marking the handover. they raided a mock house, stopped a vehicle and exploded a dummy bomb. like so many of these demonstrations, the goal was to prove iraqi forces are ready to take change. this time, they'll have to be. because these iraqi troops are taking over for the last american combat brigade in iraq. american combat troops only have one mission left -- to leave later this month. when they do, the seven and a half-year operation iraqi freedom will be over. already this year, 407 out of 505 u.s. bases have been closed. only about 60,000 american troops remain. that will go down to 50,000 by the end of august. then, the new mission will be training, not war fighting. >> it is one of those rites of passage where we're certifying that our iraqi army counter

parts are more than capable of handling the day-to-day missions. >> one of the biggest challenges now is to figure out what to do with all the equipment stockpiled in iraq. weapons and armored vehicles will go back to the united states or afghanistan. but thousands of smaller, bulky or broken items are ending up at open-air markets. this is the biggest fire sale in iraq's history. the u.s. military is selling whatever is not worth shipping out. iraqi contractors are buying it all for just a few hundred dollar as ton and selling it at flea markets like this one across the country. sifting through the heaps of military surplus, this man was looking for plasma screen tvs. he found a few at other markets of u.s. scrap. in baghdad they cost $600 he said. here they cost $100 or even $25. it's a bit tiring to go through

all this stuff, but it's worth it. the biggest sellers here are office furniture and refrigerators, some still with stickers put on by u.s. soldiers. the owner of the market said he received new shipments every week. u.s. military commanders say it's simply not cost-effective to ship out tons of used or broken equipment. and much of it left after seven years of wear and tear is so covered with grime and dust, it would never pass through american customs, anyway. lester? >> richard engel in baghdad tonight, thanks. back at home, president obama has a fate on his hands with the economy. and a jobs market that keeps coming up empty. more now from the white house and nbc's kelly o'donnell, kelly? >> hi, lester. in this hot election season with ramped-up campaigning all over the country we're seeing more of the other job president obama still has. as head of the democratic party. tomorrow he heads to texas to

raise big campaign cash and to raise enthusiasm when many voters don't feel it. as campaigner in chief, the president has a tough sell this summer, with one issue bigger than anything else. >> if you're unemployed or can't pay the bills, i know the only claim you want to hear is getting a job right now. >> 14 million out of work. unemployment stuck at about 9.5%. the white house can point to signs of economic recovery, but it's slow. hardship is real and political. with democrats on defense. >> they would have gotten anything else they wanted politically if they had won the war on economy. that war is not yet won. >> ready to make jobs a battle line, republicans like congressman mike pence on "meet the press." >> i've got to tell you when i'm home in indiana people are asking where are the jobs. >> many democrats could lose

their jobs, but the top house republican is playing down expectations. >> i continue to believe that it is a challenge. for us to take back the house. we've got candidates, more candidates than we've ever had. >> the president blames republicans for the recession. and likes a good car metaphor. >> when you get in your car and want to go forward you put it in what, d. when you want to go backwards, what do you do? you puts it in r. >> democrats acknowledge the risks. two-term michigan governor, jennifer granholm. >> i'm not polyanna about it. this is going to be a tough plug because the situation on the country is so hard. there's a lot of anger, there's a lot of anxiety. >> while the president's approval has slipped, his popularity on the money trail remains strong. tickets in texas tomorrow go for as much as $30,000 a couple. he's got a about a half-dozen of these big fundraisers this month. in a slightly different way to boost things, the obama family

will be vacationing along the gulf coast next weekend. that's a boost to tourism for sure. lester? >> kelly o'donnell at the white house, thanks. it took three and a half months, but today bp was finally able to announce it has cemented the broken well shut in a test of the cap was a success. the story is far from over. our chief environmental affairs correspondent, ann thompson is at her post in venice, louisiana. hey, ann. >> good evening, lester. bp has cemented the well from the top. but now it's turned its attention to the bottom. and the bottom kill, which will be achieved by finishing that first relief well. bp will start on that this week. it has about 100 feet more to go. and it's going to drill in 30-foot sections. and then the drill pile will come out and put in sensors to see how close they are to the mecondo well and what adjustments need to be made. if everything goes according to plan. bp hopes to intersect the well by next weekend. meanwhile, clean-up continues

along the coast of louisiana. today we found workers sopping up oil out in the bay and it's pictures like these that have residents and scientists scoffing at the government's claim that most of the oil has been recovered or evaporated or disper dispersed. they say there's no way that the nation's worst environmental disaster can be neatly wrapped up in three months, left centre. >> ann thompson. thank you. overseas to a major humanitarian crisis unfolding in pakistan where torrential rains and the worst flooding in decades have killed at least 1600 people and affected millions. and the battle is on now to deliver help. nbc's stephanie gosk is there. >> this river, normally the lifeline of this country has carved a 600-mile path of destruction. the raging waters tearing through the south, ripped down houses and sent people scramling for their lives. we've lost everything, this woman said, for god's sake, help

us. the navy launched rescue missions to save people who couldn't get out. this young boy was bitten by a poisonous snake. hundreds of thousands of people, many of them poor, rural farmers have been evacuated. the lucky ones were able to save livestock. but most have nothing left and almost everyone is hungry. >> translator: floodwaters reached our village. the children are dying and others are dying from hunger. >> the government is overwhelmed. aid organizations say the country needs hundreds of millions of dollars of humanitarian relief now. and possibly billions to rebuild later. southern pakistan is considered the country's breadbasket. 1.4 million acres of crops have been destroyed. and the destruction isn't over. torrential downpours continue to deluge the country. near this city, the river surged overits banks, low-lying

villages were completely wiped out. one dike here has broken and the other is showing signs of weakening. stephanie gosk, pakistan. heavy rain is also causing havoc in northwest china, where too much water has trugerred flooding and mudslides that have claimed 127 lives and left 1300 people missing. tens of thousands have been evacuated from an area where thick mud is making rescues treacherous. and the lung-running heat wave in russian have turned one of the world's great metropolitan areas into a choking mess. and part of what's burning is making a bad situation even worse. nbc's jim maceda is there. >> lester, a lot of viewers are wondering what is the source of all of the smoke and smog that's choking moscow. well we're about 40 miles to the east of moscow, this was a birch tree forest and much of it here has burned down. but you can see, still,

smoldering and smoking from the ground up. this is natural peat moss. and this peat is an abundant source of fuel and fertilizer for many russians in the best of times. in these extreme heat conditions, the peat becomes like charcoal and it burns slowly over time. it takes weeks or months to burn out and they burn deeply into the ground, as far as seven or eight feet underground. so as this peat continues to smolder here, even if the blanket of smog lifts in moscow, there's plenty more to replace it. and that is miserable news for russians. lester? >> jim maceda outside moscow. we're back with more news in a moment on this sunday evening, including the latest on the manhunt for two escaped convicts now linked to a double murder. and after losing so much, a family's message in a bottle hits home. and wait until you hear who found it.

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in the southwest tonight, a huge manhunt for two escaped convicts and a female accomplice has taken an ominous turn. they're suspected of murder and there are fears others are in danger if they're not caught soon. we get the latest from nbc's george lewis. >> this burned-out travel trailer was found near santa rosa, new mexico, along with the remains of linda and gary hoss of oklahoma. police say there's evidence linking their murders to a pair of escaped arizona inmates. john mccluskey and tracy province. and an accomplice, castlen may welch, mccluskey's cousin and fiancée. >> we consider them extremely armed and dangerous. >> and today, the u.s. marshal

service was putting up wanted posters saying the three were believed hiding out near yellowstone national park. visitors to the park are being warned to alert authorities if they see anyone who looks like the fugitives. >> they are at the beginning of a spree. a spree killers are the most dangerous people out. >> the two men escaped from this privately-run medium-security prison in kingman, arizona, last month. a third inmate, who also got out, daniel renwick was captured a week ago after a shoot-out with police in colorado. police have also arrested mccluskey's mother, claudia washburn. they say they believe she and welch aided in the escape. province was serving a life sentence for murder and robbery after stabbing a man 51 times. mccluskey was serving a 15-year term for attempted second-degree murder and aggravated assault. now questions are being raised about why such dangerous criminals were being housed in a

medium-security facility, where guards didn't notice right away that they had cut through the fence and escaped. >> it appears to have been a human error on the part of several of that staff. >> a human error with deadly consequences for an innocent couple from oklahoma. this, as the manhunt continues in and around yellowstone and throughout the west. george lewis, nbc news, los angeles. >> when we come back here tonight, spectacular tornadoes leave a trail of destruction in the >> amidwndes and slouching tiger. look who just played the worst golf of his career. i was short of breath,

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>> you don't get much closer to a tornado, that is, unless your name is dorothy. this was the scene in western minnesota this weekend, where a string of tornadoes tore houses and other buildings to pieces. amazingly, no injuries were reported. michelle obama is heading home tonight from a five-day private trip to spain before she left. the first lady and younger daughter, sasha had lunch with spain's king juan carlos and queen sophia on the island of majorca in the mediterranean. with older daughter malia away at camp, president obama was home alone at white house this weekend where he turned 49 on friday. well not entirely alone, the president hosted an all-star game of hoops. here he is with derek rose of the chicago bulls. other players included lebron james m they'll be at the white house tonight for a barbeque with gulf shrimp on the menu. tiger woods has been the world's to have golfer for years, but those days may be

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finally tonight, a story of a mother's grief and how a tide of sorrow carried her remembrance of the son she lost to a distant short. he was a young life cut too short on the field of battle. but now he's honor on two continents all because of a message in a bottle. from london tonight here's nbc. >> many who never knew james prosser of the sacrifice he made, 21 years old, killed fighting in afghanistan. rather than face the holidays without him, his family travelled from wales to barbados last christmas and wrote heartfelt messages to him and sealed them in a bottle and dlu it in the ocean. >> i was just writing down my feelings about james. and just, i don't know, hoping in some way that he'd see them. and hear them. >> what happened next is what he would have wanted the family now

believes. the bottle washed up in a place facing its own difficult times. workers on the louisiana coast struggling to clean up the oil spill there, found the messages. >> all the letters inside were individually wrapped. we were just -- you know, almost in tears. >> letters written by a family living an ocean away. but with a sentiment that felt close to home. >> we all come from different walks of life and we're all here together fighting our own little battles. we're trying to clean up the environment, make the world a cleaner place, a better place. through a tragic event. and james had lost his life fighting, doing a brave, remarkable thing. >> bravery that inspired them to reply with their own message. they all signed a t-shirt and sent it back to wales. >> i feel like i have a connection to the whole family. >> a a family who hung yellow ribbons when james died and never took them down. seeing them there still says more than words can about their

feelings for him. >> soulful, he was just kind. >> still, the words they wrote to james traveled 1,000 miles and touched the hearts of people he had never met. >> you feel immediate love for what he, what they've gone through. >> you understand a little better now, that all our lives are connected. kerr simmons, nbc news, london. and that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. coming up next, "football night in america" followed by "sunday night football." the cowboys versus the bengals in preseason play. brian williams will be here toochblt a. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com